ANTIQUITY of ODISSI MUSIC: an OVERVIEW Original Research
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IF : 4.547 | IC Value 80.26 VOLUME-6,Volume ISSUE-12,: 3 | Issue : DECEMBER-201711 | November 2014 • ISSN • ISSN No N o2277 2277 - - 8160 8179 Original Research Paper Arts ANTIQUITY OF ODISSI MUSIC: AN OVERVIEW Niladri Kalyan Das Faculty Of Performing Art, Odisha Adarsha Vidayalaya (oav), Kaptipada, Odisha ABSTRACT Odissi music is a separate system of Indian classical music and is having all the essential as well as potential ingredients of Indian Classical form. The existing dance and musical tradition of Odisha is the cumulative experience of the last two thousand and ve hundred years and can broadly be grouped under various varieties. The gures of dancers and musicians carved on ancient temple walls speak of Odisha’s rich musical heritage. Since, there is the dearth of recorded evidence to prove the exact time of the advent of the earliest form of the Indian Classical Music into this land inow during the period of Aryanisation of this land. There are historical evidences in the form of sculptural evidences, i.e. musical instruments, singing and dancing postures of damsels in the Ranigumpha Cave in Khandagiri and Udayagiri, Charya Geetika written between 7th to 12th centuries mostly by the poets of Odisha. KEYWORDS : MUSIC, ODISSI, SONG, CLASSICAL The present form of traditional Odissi music is no doubt the music and its patronage by successive kingdom in Odisha. The outcome of the continuous evolution of the earliest Indian classical antiquity of Odissi music is traced through historical evidence, i.e., music. One may reasonably believe its inow during the period of the dramaturgical treatise Natyashastra (c. 200 BCE to 200 CE); Aryanisation of this land. Possibly Aryan culture crept into this land sculptural, architectural, and inscriptional evidence beginning in during the Age of Brahmans when bulk of Indian peninsula came the 2nd century BC, and found in such places as Puri, Konark, and under the Aryan inuence. Music tinged with religion, attained Bhubaneswar; the 12th-century song-cycle Gitagovinda of Jayadeva; mass appeal and royal patronage. As such the royal patronization of various regional treatises on music and dance written in Sanskrit, Art and Culture made the Odishan music so developed and beginning most substantially perhaps with the sixteenth-century enchanting for enjoyment of both Gods and Goddesses and human Gita Prakasha. beings as well. This tradition is still continuous in its different manifestations. The inner voice of our history speaks a lot about the The Odissi music was born out of a cultural synthesis of several great music traditions of this country. In the second century B.C. musical traditions: Jaga Akhadas of Puri district, Pala in coastal king Kharavela, during his third year of rule, had taken several districts, GitiNatya (Musical Drama), Daskathia, etc. as various folk measures for promotion and propagation of music and dance traditions prevalent in the region. All these forms of music had a education and instrumental music organized various cultural and tradition of thousands years. musical extravaganzas throughout the state, which have been mentioned in the inscription of the stone carvings of ‘Hati Gumpha’ Around the rst century B.C., Odissi music was possibly known as caves of Khandagiri, Udayagiri, these ancient pictorial stone Gandharb Veda, which was popularised in the Kharavela Yuga (a carvings indicate that the music of then Odisha had a mass appeal great king of Odisha). Charya Geetika (poems of Buddhist literature) among the people. The ancient monuments Lalitagiri, Ratnagiri, written between 7th and 12th century, Bharat Muni's Natya Shastra Pushpagiri built during the rule of king Bhouma indicates about written in 2nd to 4th century AD. (referred to the Odra Magadhi style various musical forms of that era. As per the historical evidence, of music and dance), Sangeet Ratnakar (Odra Magadhi style of there was much appreciation for the music education and its Music), Odia Charyagitika by different Oriya Sidhacharyas in 7th to propagation in the period of 10th and 11th century during the rule 11th century, Gita Govinda by Sri Jayadeva in 12th century, Sangita of famous ‘Somavansi’ empire. The ancient stone inscriptions of Sara by Hari Nayak in 14th century to 15th century, Rasavaridhi by various temples in those days indicated about the people’s love for Brundavan Das in 15th century, Oriya Mahabharata by Sarala Das in the music. In the subsequent period the king of ‘Somavansh’, ‘Ganga- 15th century, Rasakallola by Dinakrushna Das in 16th century, etc. vansh’, ‘Surya-vansh’ were also said to have love and appreciation for were authentic manuscripts of Odissi music. Books written in later the arts of music and dance. It is evident from the ancient traditions years like Sangita Darpana, Sangit Kalpadruma, Sangitarnava of ‘Devadasi’ dance, ‘Gitagovinda’ songs which were performed in Chandrika, Baidehisha Vilash, etc. had promoted Odissi music those days on the premises of ‘Shri Mandira’ or lord Jagannath further. Hence, it is ascertained that Odissi music is more ancient temple. than its counterparts like Hindustani or Carnatic. The systematized and developed form of music which has been The artists sing the songs in Odisha’s major temples or at the courts sung in the world famous temple of the Lord Jagannath at the of princely estates, composed in the Odia language from about the sacred Puri-Dhama in its different festive occasions as a part of the 16th to early 20th century. The Sanskrit songs like Jayadev’s temple services, and cultured in the ‘Jaga-Akhadas’ of Puri and 16 Gitagovinda are also performed by the singers. The meanings of Sasanas, 36 Karavada (Brahmin villages) as well as other rural areas these songs is very often based on the events of the “divine lovers” in the district, is known as Traditional Odissi Music. This tradition is Radha and Krishna. Odissi music is now performed in music also having a long and glorious history of its own for more than 2500 concerts in urban areas and occasionally on the local All India Radio years. Odisha could imbibe all the waves of classical music station. Odissi music is heard during Odissi dance and drama . The beginning from Sama-Gana to Raga Prabandha Gana, but nally it three vital components of any classical music are tradition, assumed the present form of “Ragaksyudra-Geeta-Prabandha- codication and application. As explained above, we have inherited Gana”. This system is popularly styled as traditional Odissi music. It is our musical tradition since the time of king Kharavela. Even Mahari performed deftly in the shape of Raga-Ksydrageeta-Prabandha- tradition and singing of Geeta-Govinda in the temple of Lord Gana a form of Indian classical music by the illustrious and Jagannath since the time of King Pratap Rudra Dev in the 15th celebrated poet Sri Jayadeva in Odisha. The treatise of Bharata, a Century proved our rich tradition. The kings from ‘Bhanja-vansh’ pioneer of music and dance in India refers to the musical tradition of royal family were also fond of music and dance. The sounds or Odra substantiated by archaeological nds from the times (1st Odishan music also used to echo those days inside the temples of century BC) of Chedi dynasty. The innumerable sculptures of v i z . Pa r s u m a r e s w a r, M u k t e s w a r, R a j a r a n i , L i n g a r a j , musical instruments depicted on the walls of temples from 6th Kapileswar,Brahmeswar,Megheswar,Sobhaneswar etc. situated in century AD to 13th century AD testify to the glorious tradition of Bhubaneswar. The 13th century old Konark temple and its GJRA - GLOBAL JOURNAL FOR RESEARCH ANALYSIS X 399 VOLUME-6,Volume ISSUE-12,: 3 | Issue : DECEMBER-201711 | November 2014 • ISSN • ISSN No N o2277 2277 - - 8160 8179 IF : 4.547 | IC Value 80.26 ‘Natyamandap’ is the most lively witness of music study and it stands Museum: Bhubaneswar. 7- Pattanayak, Kalicaran, (1964), “Saptaswari: Odisi, Hindusthani o Karnnataki Sangitara as the pride of Odias forever. Then evidences about the traditions of SanksiptaTathyaSambad” in Odia, Cuttack Trading Company: Cuttack. music in Odisha have been found in the 16th century old almanac 8- Panda, Gopal Chandra, (1982), “OdisiSangitaManjari” in Odia, (The Bud of Odissi called ‘Madala Panji’. A number of Odia poetry and ‘Chaupadi’ poetic Music), Smt. Bhagabati Panda: Bhubaneswar. stanzas, written during , the period of 15th century till the ‘Radhanath’ era, were based on specic ‘Raga-ragini’ .some prominent temples in the ancient period were regarded as the centres of music-appreciation. Several musical conferences were held in the ‘Natamandir’ on the temple campus. Besides this many ‘Rajdurbars’ or courts of kings provided platforms for musical events. Debates and discussions about music were held regularly in the royal court of kings. ‘Rajdurbars’ of Keonjhar, Ganjam areas, the residences of Binjharpur and Kendrapara Zamindaars as per the sources. Odissi music, originated in Odisha, is based on four classes of music namely Dhruvapada (rst line or lines to be sung repeatedly), Chitrapada (arrangement of words in a poetic style), Chitrakala (use of art in music)and Panchal (a collective term for a variable range of artisanal Indian caste groups). Odissi music involves several genres of songs as well as performances that are structured and composed in different ways depending on the context and function of the performance. At present, a solo vocalist begins with an alap (a relatively freeform introduction to and elaboration of the raga); moves into song text and tala, accompanied by percussion (drumming); and nishes with tans (improvisations) and variations on the given melody and text. Odissi music is unique by its “medium speed (it does not utilize the extremes of slow and fast tempos found, for example, in Hindustani music), the syncopated rhythms of the Madala, and its use of ornamentation that often gives its melodies an undulating, cascading feel”.